Observations focused on the problems of an underdeveloped country, Venezuela, with some serendipity about the world (orchids, techs, science, investments, politics) at large. A famous Venezuelan, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, referred to oil as the devil's excrement. For countries, easy wealth appears indeed to be the sure path to failure. Venezuela might be a clear example of that.

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Superficial observations about things happening in a Venezuela largely on vacation

March 30, 2010

Not much news here, as we are all taking a “Mega-Bridge”, the mother of all puentes*, as decreed by Hugo who apparently went to Cuba to enjoy Varadero beach or talk to the bearded one or both.

But there is always something going on here no matter what. For example:

–Chávez decreed a National Holiday for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On National Holidays, malls have been opened in recent years, there is no law that says otherwise. In fact, when you buy or rent a storefront in Sambil, you are obliged to open all year, except Christmas, Good Friday and New Year’s.

So, what do we get? The National Guard going around shutting down stores which are regularly open on National Holidays. I guess some holiday are more “National” than others. If it is a Chávez whim, everyones shuts down, if it is a regular holiday, it’s flexible.

Funny, given the percentage of consumption by each sector, it is truly amazing that such a high number was achieved. Maybe the calculator or the algorithm was the same used to tell us that 95% of the fire in the Avila mountain (now Wararirarepano) is under control. Particularly because a few days ago it was 100% controlled. Maybe the electric savings will drop too.

–And you can’t even quit the revolution with some dignity. The former VP and honorary President of Chávez’ PSUV political party, retired General Alberto Müller, had some harsh words for their revolution when he quit yesterday from the party. Said Müller: “The revolutionaty process is dreadful, the President rarely ehars me..we are chaging an international policy for bourgeois naionalism that does not meet the expectations of the people…there are lots of bourgeois in the part, their lifestyle proves it…those of us from PPT that were true revolutionaries joined PSUV, the rest just want money, moollah, coins…”

Well, this is how that was interpreted by the party: “Relations with general Müller are intact, his decision to withdraw from the part is due to health reason”

Oh, I see, his health, or that of the revolution?

–Finally, remember the “resounding” sucess of the sale of the Carabobo heavy oli field? Two of three fields were sold and “contracts would be signed before the end of March” in what was the first new oil project after Chávez came to power in 1998.

Well, tomorrow is the very end of March and there is no signing, adding to the delay of the projects, auctioned 16 months late to start with. This means that there will be no new oil until …your guess is better than mine.

* A “Puente” or bridge refers to taking a vacation day when a holiday takes place right before or after a weekend wit a day in between.

Wow, since all residences combined use more energy than all factories combined, each individual house uses more energy than a single factory. Brilliant! It’s SO easy to see why she is far more qualified to run Caracas than the folks people actually voted for.

To be honest I think so many vacations in Venezuela are indicative of irresponsibility.I realize that here in the US most of us could use more vacation( we don’t get even one day for Semana Santa)…but in the situation that Venezuela is in, folks should be night and day 24/7 working to restore freedom .If they don’t they will wake up one day and not a ounce of freedom will be had to combat Chavismo in any way possible.We are almost there.

Actually, the way that things are going, industrial wise, she may be closer to the truth than you think.

We own a “medium industry” that is energy intensive. Our machinery runs 24x7x320 (well, it used to, is supposed to!)

Lately, we have reduced production by about 25-30%% to comply with the electric cuts demanded by our glorious leader. Even by farming out some production to our competitors (who do not produce as much as we do but produced more a year ago), we are still down because of the cuts and because our customers are also down significantly. Add in the wonderful way that the revolution runs factories it has taken over (read, they don’t run at all) and it’s not “jalado de los pelos” to say that industry is using less than residential, at this juncture.

I mean, the basic industries in the Guri area are stopped. El Tablazo petrochemical complex in Zulia is working “a media maquina” and Moron, well, is run by Morons.

This does not support what she is saying. She thinks the industry consumes more because, as she says, “A house surely consumes less than a factory”.
Well, I would be surprised if a house consumed more than a factory, unless it is the White House or something like that.

The thing is there are millions of houses in Venezuelan, then lots of shops and very very few factories.

Now: a huge amount of those houses don’t pay any electricity, they steal it.

Stolen electricity would still be counted in that 60%. Though depending on how many steal it, consumption per house (at least on paper, since you’re dividing by only the number of paying customers), would be somewhat higher than reality. Of course, nowhere near a factory – even one operating at 25%, like Roberto’s. (And that low? You don’t have to convince me things are bad, but that’s beyond anything I would have guessed. How can GDP not be dropping through the floor? That’s not the picture of -4% or whatever.)

Marc, gotta love posts with words like “Oscor” and “INCONVINIENT.” I’d certainly expect better from Business Week. (Or at least a correction in 3+ years!) Doesn’t mean the info is wrong, but it does mean that it’s a source I can’t take seriously. Not to mention that the author has no specific confidence in the source, either, which certainly didn’t prevent him from circulating it. Agenda first, facts unnecessary? Sounds downright Chavista.

Gringo, my comment had far less (in fact, essentially nothing) to do with Gore than it did with posting credible sources to support a point. I have trouble with anyone who posts (like Nussbaum did) something that supports his agenda while admitting that he has made NO effort to fact-check it. That’s the kind of person who, because agenda is more important than truth, will be wrong often enough for me to simply ignore.

Roberto, thanks for that – I’m now not even sure if my mental error was in the reading comprehension or the restating. Still a big bite. And expropriation is not surprising, since you’re clearly not doing your part to sustain the economy any more. Not that you could do any differently.

It’s an amazing system: make it impossible to do business, then punish the businesses for their lack of success. How can anyone not see that it will necessarily fall apart in the end?